Blog Archives - Integra Energy

Empowering the Future: Integra Energy’s Nationwide Reach with Major Partners in Sustainable EV Solutions

Our Nationwide Impact Integra Energy is a full-service electric vehicle (EV) charging company delivering a comprehensive package of EV charging solutions. With over 700 EV charging stations installed nationwide and partnerships spanning close to 200 major commercial properties, our impact on sustainable transportation is both measurable and transformative. How We Drive Change From initial design to long-term maintenance, Integra Energy handles every aspect of EV charging infrastructure to simplify the transition to clean energy: Tailored Solutions: Assessing each property’s specific EV charging needs, we identify the optimal equipment and infrastructure. Complete Installation and Activation: Our experienced team manages all stages—from site evaluation and permitting to full installation, activation, and funding. Ongoing Support: We provide dedicated maintenance and management services to ensure EV charging stations operate at peak performance, meeting the needs of users every day. Our Proven Impact in EV Charging -Thousands of Charging Points: With 700+ EV charging stations installed across commercial and residential sites, we’re powering a sustainable shift in mobility. -Trusted by Top Organizations: Serving All Major utility providers, dozens of municipalities, Large Chain retailers with tailored EV solutions. -Sustainable Impact: Our stations collectively reduce emissions by +100,000 metric tons of CO₂ annually], supporting cleaner air and efficient energy use. Integra Energy Expands Nationwide Footprint with Comprehensive EV Charging Solutions for Major Commercial and Residential Partners For more information on our expert EV charging solutions that cover every step of the journey, call us at (855) 270-3107 or email us at info@integraenergy.com.

LED Lighting As An Investment

What if I told you that there was an investment out there that returns 35% per year on average over the course of 10 years with close to zero risk. You would probably laugh at me, which is understandable, but this investment exists. LED technology has seen major advancements over the past few years including smart control capabilities, increase efficiencies and longer lifetimes. These new improvements have made LED’s a highly profitable investment for any facility or business. The energy efficiency industry can be daunting at times with hundreds of acronyms and abbreviations that will make your head spin. We ask you to take a step back and think of upgrading your lighting as an investment instead of a project. For example, check out the impressive results Ballston Spa National Bank achieved here! Over the first 10 years after upgrading to LED, BSNB will see an IRR of 40% which will save them $162,079 over the lifecycle of their investment in LED lighting. Now let’s take this a step further… What if I told you that you have a partner who will cover part of the investment cost with you but wants you to have all the returns. Now you probably really think I’m crazy but there is someone who will do this, your local utility company. Utility companies offer massive incentive funds to help you make installing an LED lighting system in your facility easier. For example, Integra LED worked with BSNB’s local utility company to get them $15,422 in incentives reducing the project cost over 28% To wrap things up, LED lighting is a phenomenal investment that anybody can take advantage of right now! Integra LED offers turnkey LED lighting systems including installation, incentive paperwork, lighting design and more.

3 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Lighting

Are you unsure if an LED lighting project is for you? There are many signs that you can look for which are clear signals that your facility is ready for a lighting upgrade. Most buildings today still use outdated lighting options that require high amounts of energy to run while producing poor quality light. In this week’s blog, we will discuss the top 3 signs that it’s time to upgrade your lighting from an outdated option like fluorescent lighting to LED lighting. Excessive Energy Consumption The most common sign that you need to upgrade your lighting system is expensive energy cost and maintenance. For example, fluorescent lamps are up to 70% less efficient than LED lights. This means that depending on the lamp installed, you could be using up to 70% more energy than you need to light your facility. Furthermore, fluorescent lamps are associated with high maintenance costs because they have short lifetimes relative to LED lighting. During the lifetime of one LED lamp, you would have to replace your fluorescent lamps up to 5 times! The cost of purchasing new lamps and completing the work can quickly add up creating expenses that can be easily avoided by upgrading your lighting. Degrading Fixtures and Lamps Let’s face it, fluorescent fixtures are ugly. We have all seen those light fixtures that have dirty lenses with a few dead flies resting inside. Surprisingly, this sight is still very common in facilities which can create a massive eyesore. Under those lenses are fluorescent lamps, these lamps degrade quickly and burn out inconsistently. As you can see in the graph on the right, fluorescent lamps instantly start degrading. After only 20,000 hours, fluorescent lamps will only be producing 70% of the advertised lumen output compared to LEDs which will be producing 95% of their advertised lumen output. Due to this, we commonly see fixtures with lamps that vary in light output because they are all at different points in their life cycle. This creates inconsistent and dim lighting in your facility that can make the space look dirty and dark. At Integra LED, we replace fluorescent lamps with efficient LED lights. As you can see on the right, they offer smooth consistent lighting through a crisp and sealed white lens. LEDs make any space instantly look cleaner while offering a more consistent light source that does not quickly degrade like fluorescent lights. Poor Lighting Quality As we briefly mentioned before, fluorescent tubes degrade extremely quickly creating inconsistent and dim lighting in a facility. A great way to recognize if your lamps have degraded is by assessing the light output of the lamps. Typically, a degraded fluorescent lamp will start to become increasingly dim during its lifetime until it either burns out or produces such little light that it needs to be replaced. Many facilities leave these degraded lamps until their last limb causing many areas to be poorly lit with inconsistent light. Have you seen those dirty troffer lenses in your facility? Or how about that absorbently high electrical bill you get every month? These signs or issues are easily solved by upgrading your facility’s lighting to LED. Integra LED offers turnkey lighting upgrades including securing incentive funds and selecting the product to ensure you get the best return on your investment and see the most savings possible with quality products!

5 Things You Should Know Before Upgrading to LED

We Make It Easy Upgrading to LED on your own can be time-consuming and difficult. In order to ensure you maximize the benefits of upgrading to LED it requires knowledge of the ever-changing LED lighting industry. On top of this, if you use an internal team during work hours, it may interfere with employee’s day to day task. Integra LED is a turnkey LED lighting consultant that completes every step of the process for you. From researching and ordering product to navigating incentive paperwork, we have you covered. Furthermore, our installation team works around your business hours to ensure there is no interference with your employees! Incentives Many people who upgrade to LED on their own are not aware of the incentive opportunities their local utility company offers or don’t have the time to navigate the paperwork. Utility companies offer different programs depending on your facility that can greatly reduce the cost of your LED lighting upgrade. Integra LED maintains business relationships with many utility companies. The catch is that the paperwork required can be time-consuming and tedious to complete. Our team at Integra LED maximizes incentives available for each customer and manages the process to get you the best return on your investment. They Last a Looooong Time Maintaining outdated light sources such as fluorescents can be a costly and laborious process for any facility manager. Fluorescents have an average lifetime of 15,000 hours and instantly begin to deteriorate once they have been installed. Therefore, the bulb may last for 15,000 hours but will be extremely dim and ineffective by the time you have reached that point. LEDs life rating is L70, this value measures the time when an LED will reach 70% of its original lumens (light output). The reason why this is important is that LEDs rarely get below 70% of its original light output where fluorescents commonly diminish much more. It’s not uncommon to see LEDs with L70 rated lives of 50,000 hours up to 200,000 hours or greater! Just to put this in perspective, the average fluorescent bulb will last between 4-6 years versus an LED which will last over well 20 years. Not All LEDs Are Created Equal As LED technology has become more available, we have seen a rise in poor quality products that have been flooding the market. In response to this, several organizations have been started that verify the quality of lighting products. The two largest and most trusted organizations are DLC and Energy Star which verify product quality and provide educational resources to consumers. Energy Star is a government run organization that focuses on the entire energy efficiency industry compared to the DLC or Design Light Consortium which focuses specifically on lighting. Integra LED only installs products that are a minimum DLC or Energy Star listed to ensure our customers get the best quality we can offer. We also only work with manufacturers that stand behind their product with both warranty and service offerings. They Offer More Than Savings The first thing that comes to mind with LEDs is energy efficiency and savings. Our customers typically see a 70% reduction in the cost of their lighting. The savings alone are a huge benefit, but LEDs offer much more than that. One major benefit LEDs offer is increased productivity due to more comfortable working conditions. Fluorescent lights produce large amounts of heat and produce intensity spikes at certain wavelengths. LEDs better resemble natural light and produce little to no heat making a space more comfortable. For example, a garment factory switching from fluorescent to LED lighting realized a significant productivity improvement which led to a 3.9% gain in profits for the business.

How Do LED Lights Reduce Maintenance Cost

Constantly switching out lights can be a pain but did you know the cost it creates for your business? LED lights most promoted benefit is lower electrical cost due to increased energy efficiency compared to outdated light sources. A commonly overlooked benefit of LED lights is the reduced cost of maintenance. Below, we will discuss the different ways LED lights can help you slash your maintenance cost and end the pain of switching out lights. Product Cost Although LED lights may cost more upfront, they last significantly longer. In contrast, fluorescent bulbs may be cheaper upfront but have a much shorter lifetime. Therefore, a lighting system with fluorescent bulbs will require you to constantly purchase new bulbs due to them burning out. Considering an LED light commonly lasts 8x to 10x longer than fluorescent bulbs, that means you would need to replace your fluorescent bulbs up to 10 times while you will never have to touch your LED lights! Each time you replace that fluorescent bulb, you are accruing unnecessary costs that can affect your company’s bottom line. Labor Cost Every time a bulb or fixture goes out, a facilities manager or electrician must take the time and resources to replace the light. This either waste time for your company’s facilities manager or cost you money to hire an electrician to replace the light. Furthermore, many large facilities require a lift to access their lights such as high bays in manufacturing locations. Each time these lights are switched, it creates safety concerns for your employees who must use a lift. On the other hand, lift fees from electricians can easily add up when you constantly have outdated bulbs that need replacing. Disruption Cost In order to replace a bulb or fixture, you have the potential to interrupt the workflow of your employees. For example, you need to use a lift to replace a high bay in your manufacturing facility. This lift may require employees below to stop work while the fixture is being replaced above them. An interruption like this can interfere with employees, decrease productivity and lose your company money! Overall, LED lights can greatly reduce maintenance by decreasing product costs, reducing labor and preventing disruption of your employees.

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